Switching from Remote server to Local network

[Jarvis]

I'm not sure where to put this question so I thought I would start here.

I have a database that is hosted on the web by a remote server in California ( I am in Washington state). The server has been having some up-time issues so I am contemplating replacing the remote server with a local area network.

Are there any performance issues (positive or negative) that I should expect as a result of switching to a LAN? What would be the observable differences between the various approaches to communicate from one computer to another.

If this LAN is successful I anticipate that I would have up to five linked computers. Can anybody point me to a discussion of the relative merits to either approach?

[Vaughan]

The LAN will be an order of magnitude faster than the WAN.

However the server will now be "inside" your own private network behind your router, so unless you set the router to do port forwarding it will not be accessible to people outside your LAN (ie the internet). This is not necessarily a bad thing.

You will also have to supply your own server hardware and software and support it yourself which includes managing backup and recovery.

[Jarvis]

Thanks Vaughan.

I tested the LAN against my web based server and you were right. It is quite a bit faster.